There’s a secret underground map found online. Within its pages are lists upon lists of different and sweet concoctions made up of sugars, creams, liquid sweeteners and artificial flavorings.
The secret is found inside the local Starbucks. Legend has it that years ago, Starbucks employees came together at their own individual shops and created their own drinks using the ingredients available to them behind the counter. With the power of the Internet, employees all over the world have begun to post their creations to the web.
“I know that the secret menu was created by other Starbucks baristas with way too much time on their hands,” Nicky Ramdeholl, a former barista said. “The most bizarre I’ve heard of is the Raspberry Cheesecake Latte… Just Google it and you’ll understand.”
Although this idea of specially made shakes may seem amazing for sweet tooth lovers out there, employees of the coffee chain disagree that this “secret menu” is a good thing.
“It’s annoying when people would ask for the secret menu items especially if we were not taught how to make them,” Jess Mai, a former Roth Starbucks employee said. “It also usually takes more time to make them because more often than not they would be Frappuccino’s or complex drinks.”
Ramdeholl worked at the Roth Quad Starbucks for a year and said that when students confronted her with a weird request, she would get frustrated.
“It was pretty annoying when someone would order something off the secret menu because Starbucks employees are not trained to make those drinks,” she said. “Therefore, it becomes a grueling and tedious process. We have to wait for the customer to Google the recipe, then we squint at the ingredients while running from the drink bar to the cash register and try to make it,” she added.
With names like “The Super Cream Frappuccino,” “Thin Mint Frapp,” “Teddy Grahams Frappuccino,” “The Bomb!” “Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Frapp,” “Snickerdoodle” and “Samoa Girl Scout Cookie Frappuccino,” customers are often intrigued. However, these delicious ideas are not, nor will they ever be, part of the official Starbucks menu next to the Double Chocolate Chip, Mocha and Vanilla Bean Frapps.
And even though employees of the chain may find the procedure of creating a custom drink tedious, Starbucks disagrees.
“While we don’t offer an official ‘secret menu,’ we do offer a wide variety of beverages that customers can personalize,” a Starbucks representative said in an email. “From time to time, we regularly recommend customizations we think our customers may enjoy.”
“In addition to the beverage options included on our menu boards, there are more than 170,000 ways baristas can customize beverages at Starbucks, selecting from a variety of fresh dairy selections, combination of syrups, coffee/espresso options and toppings.”
The Starbucks representative added that the personalization that baristas are capable of when it comes to creating that special drink can give customers a “unique Starbucks experience and tailor their drink to match their own personal taste preferences.”
Some of these secret items have become so popular that select stores use the ingredients to their advantage. Amanda Mueller, a shift supervisor at Starbucks in Setauket said that her particular store made one secret menu item a real menu item because of its frequent desire.
“’The Cotton Candy Frapp’ is a vanilla bean with raspberry. We actually train new partners about what it is so that they know because it’s ordered so frequently,” she said. “But it’s funny because people who have been with the company for years refuse to call it a cotton candy frapp… they will literally be like, ‘No we don’t have a cotton candy frapp. There is no cotton candy in that drink.’”
It’s unclear as to whether or not the “Willy Wonka” or “Butterbeer Frappuccino” will ever become a real thing but until then one barista requests that if a customer does feel the need to create their own beverage, they do it in a respectful and fluid way.
“Knowing how to order your Starbucks drink properly makes you a better human,” Andrea Charidemou said
In order to be that better human, she listed the way one should order it:
“Size – hot or iced – (if extra espresso shot say here) – drink type (ex: latte / caramel latte) – with (all extra things you want go here – so like, extra caramel / whip cream…) ”
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